The Sound of Music

And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Sound of Music!

Original image located here. Accessed 24th May 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 38 (1965)

You know, I was perfectly content to live my life without watching this but it seems that fate had other plans.
From the outset, this movie has a formidable reputation being a childhood favourite for many and a less -than-favourable one as being emblematic of being sickeningly sweet. The latter is perhaps best represented by the movie referenced in Addams Family Values.

Personally I found it difficult to resist the charms of this movie. Yes it is very long, yes it seems a very sanitised version of what was happening at the time and yes, it does seem tooth-rotting in it's sweetness. But I will give it props for it's scenery, it's intense final portion and, lets just face it, Julie Andrews is a force of nature that is difficult to resist.

Thunderball

And this week's Friday night movie has been... Thunderball!

Original image located here. Accessed 2nd April 2021

That title is misleading: perhaps I should start using the phrasing: 'This Month's James Bond Movie has been..'. Only that idea sounds completely dumb.

Anywho, one reason why i am watching more James Bond movies in 2021, is that I have seen bits and pieces of some but not all the way through. Therefore, watching a complete James Bond movie presents an opportunity to address some unfinished business. And Thunderball is indeed such a movie.
During the late eighties i came home from school one day to find my father who had stayed home from work on the account of being unwell. And he was watching a movie which featured some divers engaged in underwater combat. At the time, I had no idea what i was watching but i distinctly remember being mesmerized by the action taking place before me. It was exciting, gripping and was able to draw tension from a seemingly harmless situation. I also recall seeing the escape via jetpack at the start of the movie.
Of course, I would eventually find out that this was indeed a James Bond movie. So to watch Thunderball now is to revisit something that made a significant impression on me.

Unfortunately, this has so far proven to be the weakest of the Connery era. Many of the characters are dull & inconsequential, the plot is meandering & boring, the climax suffers from some bad editing decisions and the moments of gold are few and far between. Still Connery continues to be in fine form - as he no doubt has the character down pat by now - and the underwater sections are still impressive.
At least now i can say that I know which movie had those underwater combat scenes